Friday, April 03, 2020

MCALESTER -- State Rep Jim Grego (R-Wilburton) and State Sen. Larry Boggs (R-Wilburton) announced Thursday that a load of surplus hospital beds from the Talihina Veterans Center had been shipped to the McAlester Regional Health Center in McAlester.

“McAlester Regional officials reached out to their elected delegation expressing difficulty in obtaining some additional equipment in order to restock a previously closed wing of the hospital in anticipation of a surge of patients in the coming weeks due to COVID-19,” Grego said.

Grego said he worked with State Rep. Chris Kannady (R-Oklahoma City) along with Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Joel Kintsel and Deputy Director Sarah Lane. They were able to confirm the existence of the beds, which had been taken out of service and deemed surplus. The beds then were made available to McAlester Regional Health Center.

Pittsburg County Commissioner Ross Selman secured a truck along with a van trailer loaned by Big V Feeds Inc. of McAlester to provide transportation.

“This is the way government is supposed to work,” Grego said. “You have an identified need, locate a source, then connect the transportation to make it happen. We had state, county and local officials along with private entities involved.

“While this equipment is now positioned where it can do the maximum good, the hopes and prayers are that it will not be necessary to use.”Jim Grego represents District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes parts of Latimer, LeFlore and Pittsburg counties.